Hello everyone :) I recently went to see the second Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug, and I thought that as a film, it was really quite enjoyable. I had to suspend my disbelief a lot with regard to its truth to the book, but I guess that's the way with all adaptations, eh? :P
Anyway, I was inspired to have a go at writing a Hobbit one-shot, partly by a pairing presented in the film and partly by a song I listened to on the way home from the movies. Contains SPOILERS regarding said pairing but not much in the way of storyline, so consider yourselves warned, if you haven't seen the film and feel particularly strongly about it.
This story was inspired by Loreena Mckennitt's 'The Old Ways', from her album 'The Visit'. It can be found here (take the spaces out) www. youtube watch?v=O7UV51HWacA
I personally found reading, then listening, the most effective way to enjoy the story, but it's up to you. Enjoy!
The Old Ways
The thundering waves are calling me home, home to you
The pounding sea is calling me home, home to you
The huge driftwood fire burned brightly, sending up a column of sparks shrouded in thick grey smoke. The hissing and snapping of the burning driftwood mixed strangely with the sound of the ocean waves, crashing onto the rocks just a few yards away.
Kíli sat a little apart from the festivities, watching the figures dancing and making merry around the flickering blue and green flames. Earlier on he had overheard one of his comrades asking an elf how the flames had come to be that colour. He already knew, of course; one did not grow up with a brother like Fíli without knowing what happened when you burned different things. He smiled at a particularly good memory of watching a ten-year-old Fíli trying to explain to their father how he had managed to singe off both his eyebrows. That had been an interesting day.
Turning his gaze seawards, he stared instead into the dancing waves. He'd heard much about the phenomenon the elves called 'sea-longing'. It was their term for the urge to sail to the Undying Lands that every elf feels at some time in their immortal lives. Upon first hearing the term he'd dismissed it as a foolish notion invented by the elves to excuse their strange behaviour. Now, staring out into the open sea and watching the endless motion of the waves, he could almost understand what they meant.
On a dark new year's night
On the west coast of Clare
I heard your voice singing
Your eyes danced the song
Your hands played the tune
T'was a vision before me.
The elves were starting up a new song, this one including instrumental accompaniment on what sounded like a harp. He listened for a few minutes, enjoying the lilting voices of the fair-folk as they celebrated whatever celestial phenomenon was occurring tonight. Maybe some stars were aligned or something. He made a mental note to ask someone before they got too drunk to be able to answer him.
Hearing a familiar voice among the many others, Kíli looked around to see a certain reddish-brown haired elf standing in a group. She held a small-scale harp in her long-fingered hands and was plucking the strings delicately while she sang with the other elves. Kíli had never seen Tauriel in anything less than an official setting, in battle, or in the Elven King's prison, so the sight of her in such a casual situation was somewhat alien to him. He watched in awe as her dark eyes reflected the firelight like two bright stars, her slim fingers plucking the strings of the harp as if without the need for concentration or even thought. Her voice seemed to rise above the rest as he focused solely on her and, though he understood nothing of the words she sang, the sound was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.
The song ended far too soon and Kíli had to turn away and dash the tears from his eyes before he could face anyone. He wasn't sure if they were tears of sadness or joy, or perhaps a mixture of the two. Wiping his face on his sleeve, he heaved a sigh and turned back to look for Tauriel in the group of elves.
"Looking for someone?"
He spun around. "Tauriel! Uh... What are you doing here?"
"Much the same as you, I would imagine. I love to watch the sea." She sighed gently, her hair fluttering around her face in the soft wind.
"I could see the waves much better from up there," Kíli replied, then realised what he had said. "I mean-"
"Would you show me?" Tauriel smiled at the turmoil on the dwarf's face, before he composed himself and nodded.
"Of course. Follow me."
We left the music behind as the dance carried on
As we stole away to the seashore
And smelt the brine, felt the wind in our hair
In sadness you paused.
The sounds of music and laughter faded from their hearing as they climbed up onto the rocks of the cliff face. Kíli had gone over these rocks for several hours, foraging for birds' eggs, so he knew it was quite safe. He settled himself with his legs dangling over the edge and his back against the cliff. Tauriel hesitated, then joined him, drawing one long leg up to her chest and clasping her arms around her knee. The spray damped their faces and filled their nostrils with the smell of the ocean.
There was silence between them for a long moment, broken only by the hiss and crash of the waves beneath them. Then, Kíli took a deep breath.
"So, ah, where did you learn to play the harp so well? I knew someone who could play long ago but she wasn't anything like as good as you." He suddenly realised he was babbling slightly and shut his mouth firmly.
Tauriel almost laughed at the dwarf's nervousness. One would think that, as this was not their first conversation, he might be a little less awkward. "My mother used to play it for me, when I was a young elfling. I watched her play for years, then one day asked if I could try it. She said I had a 'natural aptitude', so I was given lessons from then on."
"You play beautifully," Kíli said, finally managing to find his manners.
"Thank you, Kíli. I have a question for you too, if you do not mind my asking?" A smile played across Tauriel's face as Kíli nodded fervently.
"Anything. Just ask." Kíli was amazed that she wanted to ask anything of him. What could a dwarf possibly have or know that could interest a being so beautiful and clever as an elf?
"Why did you choose the bow? Your comrades all seem to favour the axe or the sword, yet you chose differently. Why?"
She seemed genuinely interested, so Kíli thought carefully about his answer. "I suppose it all started when Fíli and I came across a band of elves in the woods. We'd been foraging for nuts and, as usual, Fíli had found more than I had."
Tauriel laughed. Sibling rivalry was something she was very much accustomed to, despite being her parents' only child. The rivalry between the twins Elladan and Elrohir were more than enough for any elf to handle.
Kíli listened raptly to her laughter. It sounded like the tinkling of tiny crystals being poured together. He waited until she had finished laughing before continuing, not wanting to miss anything by talking over it.
"So, um, Fíli and I spotted these elves. They looked like they were hunting something, so we kept well out of it. Didn't want to be shot by accident." He grinned and Tauriel shook her head, smiling. "So we hid under some bushes until they'd passed us by and then watched the hunt from behind. I'll never forget the amazement I felt, watching them kill that deer from a hundred paces away. It was like magic."
He coughed, flushing slightly red around the ears. "Or, at least, it felt like magic to a thirteen-year old dwarf who'd never even managed to snare a deer before."
The elf nodded, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "I often feel as if there is some magic that guides my aim during battle. It is not wholly foolish to believe in powers beyond our understanding. Only foolish to wholly trust them."
"Maybe. Maybe I just wanted to be better than Fíli at something." Kíli chuckled as he remembered the look on Fíli's face when his baby brother had shot an arrow into the centre of an archery target for the first time.
Tauriel smiled, but Kíli was disturbed to see that it did not reach her eyes. He frowned and said softly, "Tauriel? Is something the matter?"
Suddenly I knew that you'd have to go
Your world was not mine, your eyes told me so
Yet it was there I felt the crossroads of time
And I wondered why.
Tauriel looked away, her dark eyes turning from her companion to fix upon some unseen point in the waves. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, but her expression told Kíli everything she seemed unable to put into words.
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
"Why?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I must sail to the Undying Lands, to join my mother and father. They are waiting for me."
Kíli had long felt that this day was coming. How could a dwarf ever truly be companion to an elf? There were far too many differences to overcome. Only, now that they had finally reached the crossroads, he found that he didn't want to take a different road from her.
"I must go, and you must stay, Kíli son of Durin." Tauriel's voice took on a tone of aloof courtesy that he hadn't heard since their first meeting. Kíli realised this with a sharp pang of hurt; he'd believed them to be friends, but now she was saying goodbye. Why?
"I don't understand." Kíli turned his face away from her and stared out across the tumbling waves, his mind whirling.
As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea
A vision came o'er me
Of thundering hooves and beating wings
In clouds above.
He recalled all that his company had been through since the start of their quest. In the waves, he saw the deer being hunted by the elves, darting through the trees in defence of its life. He saw the arrow fly; saw the deer fall, pierced through the breast by wood and steel. He saw the huge, beating wings of the Great Eagles as they carried him and his kin across Middle Earth on their quest for Erebor.
That is all in my past, he thought bitterly. Why then must it destroy my future?
"You have accomplished much during your life, Kíli. More than many dwarves twice your age." Tauriel's eyes shone in the starlight as she gazed out into the water. "But I do not think your journey is over. Not yet."
He thought about this. She was right, really. They may have reclaimed Erebor and made it so that the destruction of Dale would not repeat itself, but their work was not yet done. The riches of Erebor had still to be shared among the Master of Esgaroth and Thranduil, King of Mirkwood: a tricky task in itself, to deal with both formidable individuals at once. Erebor itself would need to be rebuilt from the ruins, which would require the reconstruction of trade links. These links would be created through emissaries, both of the older generations (for their wisdom and experience) and the younger generations (for their boldness and courage). Kíli knew he and his brother would both be needed.
"You are right. I cannot abandon my kin."
Turning to go, I heard you call my name,
You were like a bird in a cage spreading its wings to fly
"The old ways are lost," you sang as you flew
And I wondered why.
Kíli turned away, blinking hard. His pride forbade him to let Tauriel see the bitter tears of loss and rejection filling his eyes; instead he wiped them savagely away with the back of his hand, pretending he was shifting his wind-blown hair from his face. The pounding of the sea filled his head until he could barely think. This wasn't fair. Why did she have to leave while he had to stay?
"Kíli."
He froze. Don't, a little voice whispered in his mind. It will only make it harder. But then he shook his head slightly and turned anyway, looking around slowly. What harm could it really do, after everything else that had been said and done?
Tauriel stood on the rock where he had left her, stark against a background of spray-soaked cliff and dark star-strewn sky. Her reddish-brown hair flickered around her face like flames as her dark eyes sought out his own. She looked, to Kíli, like she did not really belong here. She was an otherworldly creature, destined to travel to the Undying Lands with her kin, while he was a simple dwarf, destined to stay here in Middle Earth, without her.
"Things are changing, Kíli. The Old Ways are becoming lost and new ways are emerging. Perhaps this is part of the magic of which you spoke," she called to him, her voice somehow clear even through the sound of wind rushing in his ears.
He glanced back at the fire, the figures of elves and dwarves somehow merging into one glorious dance as both races celebrated for similar, yet subtly different reasons. For the elves, it was simply their deep love for the beauty of the forests and the stars that induced this merriment. For the dwarves, it was more close to home: the love of their people and their joy that their homeland had been reclaimed. For three months now, the land had been rid of the terror and destruction wrought by the dragon. That was enough to warrant celebration, Kíli thought.
"You see?" Tauriel placed a hand softly on his shoulder. "For centuries elves and dwarves have been bitter enemies. Now things are changing. That is why you must stay, Kíli. To keep this magic alive."
He felt the hand lift and turned quickly, opening his mouth to speak, but she had gone. He was alone, surrounded by the crashing waves and the smell of the sea. Tears came to his eyes once more and, this time, he let them fall; pretending, just for a moment, that he was truly alone and that his kinsmen were not singing and laughing less than fifty paces away. Tauriel was gone, but then he'd never really expected her to stay with him, had he?
A hand touched his shoulder again and he almost turned, but the touch was heavier than Tauriel's and accompanied by a proffered mug of ale.
"Come, brother." Fíli handed him the mug and grinned. "A dwarf, crying over an elf maiden? That's worthy of one of old Balin's stories, you know."
Kíli took a deep draught from the mug and shook his head, unable to keep a grin from his face. "If you say a word to anyone, I'll skin you. Alive."
"Will you now?" Fíli grinned mischievously. "Best you come back down, then, before the others notice."
He clapped his brother on the shoulder and climbed back down. Kíli hesitated for only a moment, then followed. He had his own path to follow and it didn't start with pining after someone that had never really been his.
I hope you enjoyed that, and the song that goes with it. It's one of my all-time favourite songs of hers and the rest of the album is great too :)
Just to clarify one thing, in case anyone wonders: Kíli and Tauriel have not developed their relationship beyond friends during the couple of months since the reclaiming of Erebor by Thorin Oakenshield. Kíli harbours a deep crush, of course - lovesick puppy that he is. Tauriel, on the other hand, is fond of him but knows they will never work as a couple so she doesn't allow it to go any further.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Any feedback would be much appreciated, whether it's positive or constructive criticism!
Thanks for reading :D